Okayama Prefecture is home to the legend of “Momotaro” the Peach Boy born from a peach. Okayama lives up to that name by being producing fruits such as peaches and grapes for a long time. Nakata visited 上松智夫 who has been growing fruit since his grandfather’s generation.
The members of the上松 family have played soft-court tennis for 4 generations, and 上松 who practices for 2 hours every morning, is surprisingly young for being 77 years old.
上松 takes utmost care in producing “Seto Giant”* which took over 20 years to develop. One bunch of the grapes is larger than a human face, and one fruit is as large as a Ping-Pong ball. This jade-colored grape can be eaten without peeling, and is seedless. Its characteristics are in the crisp texture and fruity flavor.
Farming that is part of the cycle of nature
上松農園 values farming as a part of the natural cycle, so no agrochemicals are used, and the use of pesticides are kept to a minimum.
Fertilizer is rice bran and organic compost. The content of the organic compost is changed each year from cow manure, pig manure and chicken manure so that the same compost is not used two years in a row.
上松農園 also uses a species of earthworms called Eisenia foetida.
As the saying “A field full of worms is a good field”, the worms consume fallen leaves and microorganisms in the soil and emit them as organic matter, creating soil that is soft and rich in nutrients.
These efforts were recognized, and 上松農園 was awarded the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Prize in the outstanding farmers competition held by Japan Broadcasting Corp. (NHK) in 1968.
Grapes grown by 上松 can truly be said to be a the work of a craftsman. We look forward to this year’s crop with great anticipation.
* “Seto Giant” is the same variety as the “Momotaro Budo” brand.
